wrestling the iron lion
The reason why poetry as survived so many ages of expression is that, so far as I can think, it is one of the most perfect expressions of paradox/contradiction. And, the conflict of dealing with/living with contradition (b/c humans tend to view opposing forces, discomfort as conflict) is at the root of most chronic unhappiness.
One could say that the most obvious way poetry "expresses" paradox is through the use of verbal and impressionistic irony. From "Lessons of the War, Naming of Parts" :
Today we have the naming of parts. Yesterday
We had a daily cleaning. And tomorrow morning,
We shall have what to do after firing. But today,
Today we have naming of parts. Japonica
Glistens like coral in all the neighboring gardens,
And today we have naming of parts.
This is the lower sling swivel. And this
Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,
When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,
Which in your case you have not got. The branches
Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,
Which in our case we have not got.
This is the safety-chatch, which is always released
With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me
See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy
If you have strength in your thumb. The blossoms
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
Any of them use their finger.
And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this
Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it
Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this
Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards
The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers:
They call it easing the Spring.
They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,
And the breech, and the cocking piece, and the point of
balance,
Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom
Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and
forwards
For today we have naming the parts.
Through the use of ironic language--ironic feeling, --the juxtaposition of artillery with flowers--the human preparation for war and death with the natural world's preparation for the coming of Spring.
In good poetry, the irony of language or image is timed so well that the product (regardless of how many times the poem has been edited or re-written) is a seemingly perfect work of spontaneous expression.
It is in this way that poetry represents both the life of the individual that is defined by conflicting wants and needs, and the world at large that seems to us, at least sometimes, to be governed by random and chaotic forces.
And this is one of the reasons why I think the role of poetry is so important, especially in this country where the great American dream itself is a paradox (is a couple paradoxes, actually): the very act of reading or writing it involves actively engaging with contradiction, it's a grappling with the very force that destroys those who are unconscious of its influence, i.e. those who become the helpless victims of their own contradictions (the paralyzed, the unattractively wishy-washy, those incapable of action, decision or thought).
::It's wrestling the iron lion. It's a form of the most severe discipline.
One could say that the most obvious way poetry "expresses" paradox is through the use of verbal and impressionistic irony. From "Lessons of the War, Naming of Parts" :
Today we have the naming of parts. Yesterday
We had a daily cleaning. And tomorrow morning,
We shall have what to do after firing. But today,
Today we have naming of parts. Japonica
Glistens like coral in all the neighboring gardens,
And today we have naming of parts.
This is the lower sling swivel. And this
Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,
When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,
Which in your case you have not got. The branches
Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,
Which in our case we have not got.
This is the safety-chatch, which is always released
With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me
See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy
If you have strength in your thumb. The blossoms
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
Any of them use their finger.
And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this
Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it
Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this
Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards
The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers:
They call it easing the Spring.
They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,
And the breech, and the cocking piece, and the point of
balance,
Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom
Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and
forwards
For today we have naming the parts.
Through the use of ironic language--ironic feeling, --the juxtaposition of artillery with flowers--the human preparation for war and death with the natural world's preparation for the coming of Spring.
In good poetry, the irony of language or image is timed so well that the product (regardless of how many times the poem has been edited or re-written) is a seemingly perfect work of spontaneous expression.
It is in this way that poetry represents both the life of the individual that is defined by conflicting wants and needs, and the world at large that seems to us, at least sometimes, to be governed by random and chaotic forces.
And this is one of the reasons why I think the role of poetry is so important, especially in this country where the great American dream itself is a paradox (is a couple paradoxes, actually): the very act of reading or writing it involves actively engaging with contradiction, it's a grappling with the very force that destroys those who are unconscious of its influence, i.e. those who become the helpless victims of their own contradictions (the paralyzed, the unattractively wishy-washy, those incapable of action, decision or thought).
::It's wrestling the iron lion. It's a form of the most severe discipline.